Two developing catasetum spikes devoured!!!what to blame???

[estación seca]

Originally Posted by Mr.Fakename

I thought this thread would be about pests prevention and control but it turned out to be the most American thing I've seen in a while....

Knowing there are a lot of OB members from other countries watching the US is why I wanted to point out that firearms owners in the US do not believe it is a good idea to discharge shotguns in residential neighborhoods. As a child I would have been pounded into a pancake and lost my firearms privileges had I done something like that.

The great majority of firearms owners here are responsible, probably took training classes, and are very careful about weapons safety. As an American science fiction writer, Robert Heinlein, wrote, an armed society is a polite society. I feel much safer knowing I am around trained and armed people than when not.

The St Louis couple you may have seen on television protecting their home had no firearms training whatsoever. They were dangerous to each other as well as unnecessarily dangerous to the people who trespassed on their property. This was noticed by every trained shooter who saw the video.

It is not easy to hit what you want to hit with a firearm. It takes training, practice and the proper mental attitude. Almost all firearms owners will tell people not to get a firearm unless they are willing to get training, practice frequently and regularly rehearse mentally when to pull and when not to pull the trigger. I know people whose lives have been protected by firearms they did not need to fire.

[Keysguy]

they go into a sort of hibernation and fall out of trees

and the best part is the TV weather personalities issue "falling iguana warnings". I kid you NOT!!!

[JScott]

Originally Posted by Keysguy

and the best part is the TV weather personalities issue "falling iguana warnings". I kid you NOT!!!

I cannot tell you how delighted I am to know that this is true and actually happens! When I read about it, I wasn't sure if it was for real or a joke. It wasn't a joke. It actually happens. That's the most delightful thing I've heard all day hahahahahaha

[DirtyCoconuts]

Originally Posted by estación seca

Knowing there are a lot of OB members from other countries watching the US is why I wanted to point out that firearms owners in the US do not believe it is a good idea to discharge shotguns in residential neighborhoods. As a child I would have been pounded into a pancake and lost my firearms privileges had I done something like that.

The great majority of firearms owners here are responsible, probably took training classes, and are very careful about weapons safety. As an American science fiction writer, Robert Heinlein, wrote, an armed society is a polite society. I feel much safer knowing I am around trained and armed people than when not.

The St Louis couple you may have seen on television protecting their home had no firearms training whatsoever. They were dangerous to each other as well as unnecessarily dangerous to the people who trespassed on their property. This was noticed by every trained shooter who saw the video.

It is not easy to hit what you want to hit with a firearm. It takes training, practice and the proper mental attitude. Almost all firearms owners will tell people not to get a firearm unless they are willing to get training, practice frequently and regularly rehearse mentally when to pull and when not to pull the trigger. I know people whose lives have been protected by firearms they did not need to fire.

this is a great post.

as someone who has spent time around armed people in my job and then not, it is much more comforting, as ES said, to be around trained, responsible, armed people. The crazy people scare me but they can make a knife, a bottle, a rock into a weapon if they are hell bent on doing so.


the first thing i was taught about guns was about downrange awareness. what are you pointing at and what is behind that??? the second thing was the horrible and devastating power of a gun from seeing an animal die (it was a squirrel and we ate it) but i NEVER saw a gun as a toy in my life, just like a miter saw, it is a tool and it can really mess you up the second you don't respect it.

[JScott]

Originally Posted by Mr.Fakename

I thought this thread would be about pests prevention and control but it turned out to be the most American thing I've seen in a while

From a European standpoint, what's freaking me out is seeing images of people roaming free with stuff that can blast another person's head clean off from the other end of the street.
Aren't you scared that someone around might get dangerous?
Incivility and violence are getting out of control here, I can't imagine how things would go with firearms...

Well, most people don't just walk around carrying a gun where it is openly visible. Handguns must be concealed. Long guns (like shotguns) don't necessarily have to be concealed, but it probably varies from state to state. I can't remember the last time I saw somebody walking around just carrying a gun in the open. I don't know if I've ever seen that, actually. I'm sure there are plenty with guns that I can't see. But yes, gun control is a major problem here. There are shootouts in one place in the US or another pretty much every day, although I've never witnessed one. It's a major problem, and I wish somebody would come up with a moderate solution that would make both sides of the argument only resent each other a little bit.

I have a shotgun because I used to hunt with my dad when I was younger. I haven't hunted in years, but I still have the gun. I don't think I've fired it since I shot that skunk, and that was when I was in college, so 2007 at the latest, and I can't remember the last time I had fired before that. I was kind of impressed that I got the skunk with one shot. If I had missed, it would have just have run away and come back later to annoy my dog and spray under the house more, making my whole house and even my clothes reek of skunk.

But yeah, I have a gun. I don't carry it in public, or anywhere else for that matter. It remains in my closet, because I don't ever use it, and that's a reasonable place to put it. It sure came in handy to kill that skunk tho, and I was glad I had it. I washed all my clothes and nobody ever complained about me reeking of skunk again, so I guess it was worth it, despite the 220 dollar ticket, and that cop must have been in a really bad mood that night. Usually they'd just tell you not to do it again.

But it really isn't as bad as some of the rest of the world imagines it is.

[Keysguy]

The very first thing I was taught about guns was "if the day ever comes when that thing doesn't scare the hell out of you then you'd better the hell put it down"!

[Dollythehun]

We used to stay on topic. That changed awhile back frankly, it causes me to shake my head too.

Most citizens that carry weapons are quite responsible. There are exceptions , of course. If you live close to a major city, we live close to Chicago, of course it's unsettling.

But, we treat others as we would want to be treated, mind our business and live our lives honestly and respectfully. I like to believe most Americans fit into that civilized mold.

[DirtyCoconuts]

I am responsible for most thread derails....WW the rest lol

[JScott]

Originally Posted by DirtyCoconuts

I am responsible for most thread derails....WW the rest lol

Well, I think it started to go off the rails when I posted my rant about non native invasive species. That was still kind of on track, but when all fell apart was when I told the funny story about the skunk in my back yard. Then it was a totally different conversation hahahahah. But didn't we have fun?

[WaterWitchin]

I’m responsible for many off track threads. Personally I TRY to stay on track depending on the OP. I’m always up for derailing DC’s threads, or JScott’s for example. And they return the favor on mine. I also derail occasionally with Ray, but it’s more a Bill Nye attack, and he used to me. We had that one out a long time ago. From a personal standpoint, I like it. I’ve learned many things and get a lot of insight and laughs from it.

From a moderator standpoint, if the OP says something about back on track, or I see a situation where it’s fairly obvious the OP isn’t participating, or I know the individual wouldn’t like it, I PM the OP to see if they’re okay with it or not. Or just put up a cease and desist post .

I think in this particular instance, guns is a natural way for a conversation to flow toward. And we learn more about those who join in because of it.

If we were discussing a dying Phal and scale or mealies, not so much. The OB is here for all. Different folks, different styles.

And I would love to respond to MrFakeNames query about guns, riots, etc, as seen on TV here. But I’m on a cell and not at home.

I’ll have to check in later or tomorrow on that one if anyone is still following this one.